Soul Eater AGAIN
by Huntsmaster
Summary: The year following Asura's defeat, a new group of students enroll in the DWMA. The story follows 15-year-old Allora Wolve and her friend Delilah Parker and their new life at the academy. (I do not own Soul Eater. Please review if you want more!)
1. Prologue

Approximately 1 year after the last kishin incident, things in Death City had calmed down. The insanity level returned to normal, the number of monster attacks decreased significantly, and all known organizations that sought to bring to the DWMA were supposedly disbanded. Arachnophobia, for example, was ruined after all it's leaders were dispatched. However, some may argue it is still alive because of the small packs of those who refuse to admit that Arachnophobia is no more.

More students joined the DWMA after the climatic battle between Asura and the academy. After things began to recover, more senior students were employed to take care of monsters worldwide. Small bases and outposts were set up around the world; the academy had become much more of an organization than a school. If another kishin were to ever arise again, the DWMA would be ready to respond anytime and anywhere.

Life had settled down a significant amount and everything was peaceful.


	2. Welcome to the DWMA!

KARAGINSKY ZALIV, NORTHEASTERN COAST OF RUSSIA

A man paced across a stage in front of his 'followers'. He was dressed in a long tan hunter's coat lined with what seemed to be fox fur. Under this, he wore clothing that a 19th century hunter might wear when tracking game, the heavy coat disguising his general figure though it could be said he was lean. Not much else could be said about his physical appearance other than he had short black hair. A worn, steel mask that had thin rectangular slits for eyes and mouth covered his face. His get-up may have been odd, but it's the same reason he gave off an aura that would intimidate most.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he spoke, "I shall give you your directions." Only about 50 men and women had been informed about the job. The description was vague though the ad read 'come to the Karaginsky Zaliv Docks and find the small black theater to receive directions and payment'. They murmured between each other about how odd this was; the introduction seemed rough and unprofessional.

"I simply required a manned ship to take some cargo to the United States. I only need capable, contracted, people like you to take it to the west coast. Dock in the shipping port in San Diego." he explained. "You have all been paid in advance and details will be given via radio once you have shipped out. The Aristocracy thanks you for your service. Your help will not be forgotten."

DEATH CITY, NEVADA, USA

A new school year has begun meaning new students have enrolled in the academy once again. Some of the senior students still remain at the academy to finish up studies, but for the most part, this was a fresh batch.

Two girls stood at the base of the steps that led to the entrance, both sort of confused by the odd appearance of the school. "You sure this is the place?" the one on the right asked. She was fairly tall for a girl her age though it wasn't like she was lanky; her size was proportional to the rest of her body that could be said to be a slender, attractive form. She had hair brown hair brought back into a ponytail; the way she was dressed, however, was odd. She wore a military uniform like you would at a boarding school with a patch of the US flag on the shoulder.

"Delilah," the other stated, "I'm not sure any other high school has giant spikes and floating orbs. This has to be it. Nothing else to it." the other girl began to head up the steps. She had a slightly smaller or 'petite'-sized body for 15-year-old; in addition to brown cowboy boots, this girl wore a white tank top and red hoodie that were a little too big and blue jeans that were a little too small. Her small face was partially obscured by her platinum-blond hair, the bangs hanging over her left eye and most of her cheek.

"Allora! Wait!" Delilah easily climbed the steps after her. Delilah was physically strong for a girl her age, to say the least, having been raised in a military academy since birth. It seemed like she would normally be the leader but was actually quite sheepish, tending to follow Allora around. Allora ignored Delilah's attempt to stop her, happily marching on. "Fine... let's just go..."

"Thanks." Allora laughed a little at Delilah, unsure if it was good that she found it funny when the military-girl was in distain of a situation. "Common, it's our first day. We need to find partners!" Delilah shivered at the thought of getting paired with some creep.

"Why couldn't one of us just been a weapon?" Delilah asked rhetorically, not really needing or wanting an answer.

"Because-"

"Shut it, Allora." Delilah growled, "I'm not in the mood for your sass." Once again, Allora could help from laughing at her.

"You're just adorable!"

"I said shut up! I just want to get a partner quick and move on..." Delilah had a pretty determined attitude when it came to just about anything, especially stuff she didn't want to do.

The girls continued bickering until they reached the top of the steps. They gazed at the massive building before them, Allora both nervous and excited about entering the school. Delilah continued walking strait for the entrance when a guard with his face obscured by a green cap stopped her near the front columns.

"Twenty dollar toll for entering the school." the guard said though there was something odd about it. From a couple yards back, Allora immediately saw the height difference, the guard _a lot _shorter than Delilah. Both them having twenty-twenty vision, they both saw through the ruse. She lifted the guard up by the collar as the cap fell off; he was obviously a student.

"Listen, you little punk," Delilah growled, her more aggressive side showing, "If you think I'm dumb enough to fall for you little trick, I hope you have a good weapon when I feed you too the monsters."

"Okay... um..." the boy look frantically from side to side; he was about their age, dressed in black dress pants and a baggy green coat that resembled a beat up military uniform. He had a couple piercings on his face, one ring on his left nostril, one on his right eyebrow, and two on his left ear. His dark brown hair was messy and he had a sly face, vaguely resembling a fox. "Congratulations! Welcome to the DWMA! You have passed the... um... entrance exam!"

"You don't say..." Delilah said dryly, dropping him on the ground. Allora had slowly walked around the two and towards the building as she resumed her place by Delilah's side, both continuing into the building. "Not a great start... considering they allow vagabonds to ornament the building's borders." Allora laughed at the situation trying to lighten the mood.

"Lighten up, Delilah. He looked like a student to me." Allora said.

"Yea-

"Wait! I wasn't joking about the toll though!" The boy called, running after them; Delilah was in the mood to crack this kid's skull in. She turned around, her eyes meeting his with an evil-looking glare that made the poor boy freeze up. He was too close to stop running so in a split second and a small flash of dark blue light, he turned into a civil war era field officer's sword, dropping to the ground.

"He's a weapon! A sword!" Allora exclaimed only to make Delilah sigh.

"Thanks, Allora. I would've never guess it if you hadn't told me." Delilah picked up the sword without any difficulty. She executed a couple practice swings just for fun. "You know, it's not a bad weapon."

"I have a name!" The boy said while being swung around. "Can you put me down now?!" his voice was fairly childish-sounding for someone of his age.

"Hm... tell you what, I won't stake you through the wall if you agree to be my weapon." Delilah stated. "I want to get on with training and I don't need to waste time looking for a weapon. Please?"

"What're you talking about?! You're probably going to abuse me!" The boy cried from within the sword.

"I don't want to abuse you but I will if you decline my generous offer." Delilah said a sweet-sounding voice. She drew the sword back with one hand like a spear, showing she was getting ready to proceed with her threat.

"Okay! Okay! Whatever! I'll be your damn weapon!" The boy shouted. "Just don't hurt me!" Delilah tossed the sword in front of her as the boy transformed back with an ugly look on his face.

"Great!" Delilah had an awkward but happy smile on her face that thoroughly confused the boy in front of her.

"Well," Allora said, breaking the awkward silence, "don't you two think it's time we got to class?" she looked between the teens with a genuine and bubbly smile. Delilah nodded, putting her arm around the boy, making him squirm awkwardly under her grip.

"Common, _partner._" Delilah said in the geekiest way possible earning a stern look from the boy as she set off down the hall.

"My name is Zach." He said, tired of being indirectly referred to.

"Well, _partner," _Delilah said again. "I-"

"Stop calling me partner!" Zach said lowly from under her arm, "I'm a person. Not an object. If you're actually going to be my partner for the time being, at least treat me nicely." Delilah paused and let him go at the doorway to the classroom.

"You're right, sorry, Zach. I'll try and be more considerate. Oh, and by the way, you should probably know that I'm bipolar." Delilah said softly, taking a seat at the center front of the class. Zach suddenly looked scared at the "b"-word, looking to Allora for some kind of comfort. Allora just shook her head at him; there was no mitigation of Delilah's disorder.

"You didn't say bipolar, did you?" Zack asked, his tone ringing with distress.

"It's not that bad." Delilah said in a comforting manner. "It's only if I get angry that I get kind of aggressive."

"So don't piss her off and everything will be peachy with you two." Allora added. He rubbed his temples groaning a little, almost regretting his decision to come to the academy.

"Something wrong, Zach?" Delilah said sweetly, making Zach assume that being truthful might anger her.

"Nothing! Nothing! Just chill out, alright?" Zach said frantically; Delilah smiled gently and nodded. He sighed and opened the door to the small classroom. There were several other students inside beside Zach, Delilah, and Allora who had just entered.

"So, um, is that you're jacket?" Delilah asked, tugging on Zach's jacket shoulder gently. Zach's eyes lit up a little.

"It's actually my dad's." he explained with a smile, Delilah just intently staring at him, a _huge _fan of any military gear or weat. Allora sighed a little and turned away from their conversation, feeling kind of excluded. She looked to her behind her for anybody to talk to and saw a lone boy leaning against the wall in the corner of the common room. She frowned when she saw his expression; he was just staring at the wall parallel to him, his brow slightly down and his mouth in the slightest frown.

"Hey." Allora said friendlily with a wave toward the boy, which made him turn towards her. He had a very sharp and angular face with high cheekbones and a medium jawline. He had neat black hair that went diagonally over his forehead but his most notable features were the various cuts and scrapes he had over his face. In addition to that, Allora immediately noticed that he his left eye was a steel gray and his right was a bright blue.

"Are you a freshmen too?" Allora asked to which the boy replied with a sharp hand motion to his throat. Allora recognized it as the motion for being mute; her brow furrowed slightly. "Oh, sorry." she looked away and then changed her view to the teacher entering the classroom.

"Okay, quiet down now." A blue-skinned man said as he entered the room. He wore a white tank top and blue jeans. In additions to that his shoulders were tattooed and he wore a white headband. From his pure white eyes and blue skin, it would be hard not say he looked like a zombie. "My name is Sid Barret and I will, for the most part, be your instructor. For the first couple days, I intend to get you acclimated to the unique environment the DWMA presents and, of course, get you all paired."

"Done." Delilah smirked nudging Zach a little who actually smiled back. Allora looked around the room to check out the other students. There was of course, Zach and Delilah, the mute in the corner, and four other students, which totaled a lucky 8. The other students consisted of a boy with shaggy dirty-blond hair wearing blue jeans and a black collared shirt. Standing next to him was a very tall boy with short brown hair, dressed in the most ugly faded red cargo shorts and a Nirvana t-shirt. Besides them, a girl with bright orange hair and freckles in a green blouse and black jeans stood. Finally, next to the ginger, there was a girl who was, by about a foot, the shortest person in the room and appeared to be of Spanish decent.

"This doesn't have to be immediate meaning this is _not _a race," Their instructor gave a quick and annoyed glance to Delilah and Zach. "Because it is, and I repeat, an _extremely _important factor in your success at this school. Choose wisely." Most of the students looked around mostly just to see who else was looking around. "So what we usually do is show what 'in-tune' partnership looks likes. Ms. Albarn, Mr. Evens, if you'd enter now." At that point, a female dressed in a long black coat, vest, and short red-black plaid skirt and a male dressed neatly in black dress pants and a white short-sleeve button up shirt entered the room.

"Hello." The girl said, "My name is Maka Albarn and this is my partner Soul Eater Evens." she motioned towards her partner.

"Yo."

"Both Ms. Albarn and Mr. Evens graduated from this school last year but have come back just for today to give a shining example of what a functioning team looks like." Mr Barret explained, trying to stress the point that they should pay attention. He paused and gestured to the two who nodded in reply. "If you would." The male transformed into a tall scythe with a red and black pattern on the blade, going into the girl's hands. The female meister swung the massive blade gracefully and with ease, almost like they were dancing. The students watched in awe after quickly backing up as the team put on the most incredible show. After about a minute of an impressive display of blade spinning and slicing, she deftly ended the performance, earning a small applause from the watching students.

"Wow... that's incredible. You think we could ever get that good?" Allora quietly asked Delilah. Delilah actually had to think about it for a second.

"I know Zach and I could..." she stated pompously, still trying to show off her partner even if she had to threaten Zach into the agreement. "But I'm sure if you found a partner you could too." Allora sighed a little.

"Thank you both." The teacher said graciously.

"Your very welcome." The female said leaving the room, the male following after her.

"No problem." They both soon vacated the room; the teacher turned back to the students.

"This school's goal is to get you to the point where you're like that. Where you work in an unspoken symbiosis. So for your homework today, socialize. Get to know your fellow students and remember that your choice is very important." he paused again to let in sink it. "Dismissed."

The class exited the room and began talking in the hallway. Allora looked around to see who was still there which was everybody... except the lonesome kid from earlier. Delilah and Zach were still chatting along with everybody else. Allora felt slightly out of place until someone approached her. "Hey." It was the shaggy-haired kid, that being the prime identifier.

"Oh, hi!" Allora said sweetly. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Allora Wolve." This somehow made him laugh.

"It's just my friend my made up this stupid fake name that's super close to yours." The boy said without a single thought to how that might be seen as an insult. "Anyways, my name is Connor Donahue."

"Thanks..." Allora said dryly. "I once made pseudonym close to yours thats even more dumb than my name."

"You're just annoyed you have a sucky name and you're fat." At the word 'fat' the tall male who appeared to be this 'Connor's' friend turned his head away from whoever he was talking to and sighed.

"Excuse me?!" Allora exclaimed.

"Did I stutter?"

"I'm not fat!" Allora cried out loudly, quieting most of the room. The tall male had come up to her.

"I'm sorry, he's just being a brat. He likes to call people overweight. I'm Charlie." He smiled a little while saying that trying to ease the mood.

"Oh, thanks..." she glared a little at Connor who met her stare with one as equally menacing. Delilah came up behind Allora and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Common, Allora," she said softly, "We still need to go find our dorms." Allora glared again at Conor before she and Delilah turned away.

"Yeah, I guess so." Allora began walking with Delilah, partially glad that Zach was there to hog her attention. In the background, Conor and his friend could be heard arguing over 'it being too soon to call people fat' and that he should 'at least make friends first. "We got a couple characters, huh?" Delilah snickered.

"Yeah... Zach is pretty nice though. I like him." Delilah said in her usual shy voice, though perking up when she mentioned Zach. Allora grinned at the chance to tease her.

"Wow, not even a day and you already got a boyfriend." Allora was already feeling smug from her own joke but was surprised by Delilah's response:

"It least I won't be alone forever because I'm fat..." Allora's mouth hung open a little not usually seeing such a caustic sense of humor from her when she was in her subdued state. "Try to make friends, alright?"

"I'm not fat!"


	3. This is Where You'll be Sleeping

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, USA

Once again the same man as before marched across the stage, hands behind his back like he was some dictator rallying his troops. "Welcome to those who bothered to show up." There were only 17 people in the audience, scattered amongst the rows of seats with darkness obscuring their appearances.

"When do we get paid?" one person asked, not really interested in the speech or actual cause. The man on the stage paused.

"Paid? You are here because you are interested in the future of humanity and how we can create a new world!" The man said; his voice was enticing and energetic, though not to those purely interested in money. Most of the people got up and left, leaving only 6 remaining. "Well, I appreciate those of you who care."

"Yeah, yeah...This better be worth it..." one man from the audience groaned, a very odd looking individual. A spotlight suddenly shone on him; he was completely dressed in white. White sneakers, white jeans, and a white t-shirt, the whole deal. In addition to that, he literally was white, meaning he was an albino. His spiky hair and skin were pure white although his eyes appeared to be completely black in the low light of the amphitheater.

"Sir! What is your name?" The man on the stage asked.

"Aberration." The albino replied coolly.

"You obviously have faith in us and hate your current life thus why you want a new order. Correct?" The man asked enthusiastically though got no response from the albino. "Welcome, Aberration. The Aristocracy greets all who would die for us with open arms."

* * *

><p>Allora continued to the dorms with Delilah, who had actually taken a visitors guide, using the map to find their way. It was late afternoon and an unusually hot day even for the desert climate of southern Nevada. Both the girls were trying their hardest not to pass out on the streets. "Delilah..." Allora groaned.<p>

"Yes?" Delilah said weakly in an even more feeble than she usually speaks in.

"Are we un-athletic?" Allora asked, panting heavily. Delilah didn't answer, much to Allora's growing chagrin. "Delilah... answer m-"

"Here we are!" Delilah exclaimed a little, Allora looking in awe at the beautiful exterior of their dorms. "Sure beats boarding school, right?" Allora nodded in excitement.

"Hell, yeah it does!" she cheered running for the front door when a young lady of about 18 with a 'matured body' stopped her. She was dressed in black jeans and a black t-shirt with some band logo on it that neither Allora nor Delilah knew. She had dark brown hair than went behind her shoulders and ear buds in. "Um... Hello?"

"Hey," the girl said friendlily, "Names' Karen. I'm a senior student hear at the academy."

"Ah, I'm Allora and that's my friend Delilah." Allora said casually, motioning to Delilah who approached the two.

"I supposed to show you around or whatever... responsibilities and stuff." The girl said disinterestedly, turning towards the door while motioning for Allora and Delilah to follow, which they did.

"Do we have this whole section to ourselves?" Allora asked as soon as they entered, astonished by how nice the place was.

"Mostly." their guide replied, "You'll be sharing with the two other freshmen girls, Scarlett and Tawny... and myself." She led them up the stairs and opened the door to their room. Allora and Delilah looked around the room, Allora immediately flopping onto the bed closest to the door.

"This ones' mine..." she said with her face buried into the sheets. Karen scoffed in amusement and slight derision while Delilah went to the bed directly beside Allora's, smiling at Karen.

"Thanks." Delilah murmured at Karen.

"Don't mention it." The girl said walking into the hall, out of view with a classic dismissive-looking wave of her hand. Allora sat up on her bed, facing Delilah.

"We did it!" Allora cheered, springing forward and hugging her tightly. Delilah tried to shrug away, Allora grasping a little too hard.

"Yeah..." Delilah said with an awkward smile.

"We sure showed our parents! Putting us in that stupid boarding school... This is way better!" Allora was unknowingly crushing Delilah, being _a lot _stronger than she looked.

"Allora..." Delilah growled. "Let. Go." Allora pulled back with a goofy grin.

"Sorry." Allora laughed a little, her stomach growling loudly immediately after she spoke. "So-" At that moment, Karen poked her head back into the room.

"By the way, I have you're guys weekly allowance." She said holding two envelopes in her hand. "But... I gotta treat you guys to lunch so I can give you the low-down on how things work around here." Allora and Delilah both stood simultaneously.

"Thanks." Allora said, Delilah echoing her in a soft voice.

"Come on," Karen started walking, Delilah and Allora following. It was notable that their guide wasn't wearing any shoes, which might've been odd since they were going out.

"You're not wearing shoes?" Allora asked. Karen stopped and turned around to face her.

"Got a problem?" Karen asked intimidatingly; she was taller than Allora but definitively shorter than Delilah.

"Not unless you do." Allora growled, staring up at the taller girl. Karen smirked a little.

"I like you." The senior turned back around and kept walking. "There's too many Type B's around here anyways." Allora turned to Delilah while walking and grinned.

Soon, they arrived at the cafeteria Allora running straight up to the dessert bar. "Hell, yeah!"

"Hell, no…" Delilah said weakly, coming up behind her. "You know you need to eat actual food before you have dessert." Allora glared at Delilah.

"Oh, yes mother." Allora said in a fake, high-pitched voice. "Yeah, right. You're my friend, _not _my dietitian." Karen laughed at their bickering.

"As much as I'd love to just give you dessert, I can't just give you what you want." Karen head for the counter and ordered. "Three of the grilled trout and three salads."

"Salads?!" Allora exclaimed. "Come on! I came here to have fun, not eat healthily!" Karen snickered a little at the girl's antics.

"If I didn't already have a partner, I'd definitely have you." Karen said licking her lips seductively. That quieted Allora pretty quickly; both Delilah and Karen laughing immediately as they waited for their food.

* * *

><p>Zach had gone back to his dorm with the two other guys and was setting up in one of the rooms with them. "So you guys came here together? He asked either one of them.<p>

"Well, actually, the four of us." Connor answered, relaxing on his bed next to the window.

"You two, and those girls?" Zach asked, taking off his jacket and setting it on a nearby chair.

"Yup." Connor yawned a little and kicked off his shoes. "The short Mexican girl was Scarlett, his," he nodded to Charlie, "girlfriend and also his weapon."

"Him and I are both meisters and Conor here grudgingly paired with my friend Tawny." Charlie explained, referring to Connor, "We came here together because we weren't too happy with high school and thought of no better place for two weapons and two meisters but the DWMA."

"Tawny's kind of hot, but she's a ginger. Gotta take the good with the bad, right?" Connor said offhandedly, bringing an awkward silence over the room. Zach raised a brow.

"You like pissing people off, don't you?" Zach asked rhetorically.

"Don't mind him. He just likes being a brat." Charlie said, going to the middle bed. Connor glared at little though it was obvious they had insulted each other before.

"Shut up, whore!" Connor shouted. "I'm not a brat..."

"Anyways," Zach said to clear the air, "Mr. Barret gave me all of our allowances." Zach took some envelops from his backpack. He tossed one to Charlie and then Connor though he still had two in his hand.

"What's with the extra one?" Connor asked. Zach looked at it carefully, though it had no name on it.

"I guess Mr. Barret made a mistake." Zach said tossing it onto the desk.

"Let's split it up." Connor said, looking greedily at the envelope. Charlie frowned at that.

"No, come on, guys. We should return it." Charlie said, looking slightly annoyed. Zach picked it up and looked at it closer. Nothing.

"Well, I say go get lunch, my treat, and then take it back afterwards. You guys hungry?" Zach asked trying to compromise with the two. Charlie gave an affirmative nod though Connor was hesitant.

"Yeah..." he groaned, getting up and putting on his shoes. Charlie stood and headed for the door while Zach put on his coat and the put the envelope in it's pocket. The three headed out the door.

* * *

><p>The guys entered the cafeteria, heading for the order where you ordered. "I'd like the steak." Zach said.<p>

"Pizza." Connor called from behind Zach.

"You wanna split a medium?" Charlie asked him quickly to which he got a nod in response.

"A medium cheese pizza actually." Connor said, correcting his own order.

Zach paid for the food and leaned against the counter. He spotted Delilah and waved at which point she waved back.

"Already?" Charlie asked.

"What do you mean?" Zach said slyly with little grin.

"Charlie can give you some tips on what _not_ to do with a girl." Connor laughed a little while saying that.

"Hey! That was in, like, 7th grade!" Charlie said angrily to Connor.

"That's why it was so bad." Connor replied coolly. Their food was set on the counter; Charlie took it and hurried over to a table.

"Yo!" Zach called, waving Charlie over to his table as he took his seat next to Delilah who was sitting next to Allora and across from Karen. Connor took his seat next to Karen and Charlie took his seat next to Zach; the three began eating along with the girls.

"Oh, hey, your the girl from earlier." Connor said, looking at Allora.

"You come here to insult me?" Allora asked with a calculating expression.

"Who? Me?" Connor responded in a mock voice, "I just came to hang out with my homies Charlie and Zach," he said with a slight motion to both of them, "I got to have some bro time before I have to deal with that Tawny chick. The accent is awesome but damn- why did she have to be a ginger? On the contrary, her body and face are at least both 9s so that makes up for everything." The was a brief silence amongst the group.

"So what've you guys been up to?" Delilah asked the three of them, but mostly Zach, trying to change the subject.

"We just went to find our dorms and then we were going to return an extra allowance envelope to Mr. Barret." Zach explained. "We decided we might as well get lunch first."

"You got an extra envelope?" Karen inquired, slightly curious.

"Mr. Barret probably gave them five and us four. Either Scarlett or Tawny are probably looking for their money." Allora laughed a little at the situation.

"Five?" Connor asked.

"We only got four." Charlie added.

"Then you should have enough." Allora said.

"There are only three of us." Zach stated.

"What are you talking about?" Allora asked, "There's you three and then that weird kid in the corner who disappeared after orientation."

"His fault for not showing up. I still say we split it." Connor said making Allora frown.

"Ditto. As much I'd want anybody not to starve, I also want some extra cash." Allora grinned.

"Who said I'd split it with you?" Conor asked Allora.

"We're giving it back." Zach said firmly, Charlie nodding in agreement; Connor narrowed his eyes and Zach.

"So, what's your name?" Charlie asked the rocker-girl sitting across from him.

"Karen-"

"So have you or anyone seen Scarlett?" he asked the group. There was a brief moment of everyone looking between one another. "Well, if anyone sees her, tell her to come here for lunch tomorrow." Connor rolled his eyes.

The group finished their meals and chatted for a bit more before they decided to head to back to their dorms. Delilah gave Zach a quick hug before she ran to catch up with Allora and Karen who began walking.

"So you guys don't mind if I take the third bed in your room? I gotta make sure nothing happens to you guys under my watch." Karen said much to Delilah's distress.

"Are... we in any danger?" Delilah asked timidly.

"Well, the DWMA tends to make some enemies." Karen said.

"Why is that?" Delilah asked curiously.

"The DWMA has been described as the 'world police'. Some private organizations who might despise the amount of power any single group have might seek to destroy us." Karen explained blankly, Delilah becoming increasingly anxious over that piece of information.

"Hey, uh, Karen. You're making Delilah a little nervous." Allora said, annoyed about it too.

"Oh, sorry." Karen rolled her eyes when but then laughed a little.

"What's so damn funny?" Allora questioned.

"Well," Karen started. "I was just figuring the pairings for the freshmen group when I realized there was an even number. Delilah and Zach, Scarlett and Charlie, Connor and Tawny and Allora and…"

"Hell no!" Allora shouted, putting two and two together, "There's no freaking way I'm getting pair with the mute! That freaking sucks!" While it may've seemed like she really hated the situation, Allora was kind of happy to be paired with that guy. He seemed really distant and introvert and Allora's social personality would keep him included to some extent. Delilah laughed a little too.

"Looks like you got leftovers." Karen snickered, Allora unable to resist laughing at the caustic joke.

"Oh, come on, he can't be that horrible." Allora said, pulling back a little on the complaining.

"Sure, sure." Karen and Delilah both laughed some more, giggling the entire way back to the dorms.


	4. And This is Where You'll be Waking Up!

DECEMBER 17, 1942 STALINGRAD, RUSSIA

The sound of gunfire echoed throughout the city of Stalingrad. It was snowing gently on this sunny winter day. Smoke could be seen rising from various spots in the city and many of the dilapidated buildings. One side of a boulevard, Wehrmacht soldiers could be seen putting up an intense defense against the Soviet Stavka. For the Nazi's, things were looking grim and being out in the open would only provide targets for the Soviet snipers situated in many of the destroyed buildings. The Wehrmacht were forced into the dark building that had no power and was in ruins. They quickly began to move up the stairs and set up a of kind 'mock defense' that guarded all entrances to the main floor they were camped in.

However, the retreating Wehrmacht were completely unaware that the Soviets had planned for this and already had two agents already inside the building. One man was a bulky thing, with a long brown beard that went down to his collarbone and completely covered his strong, wide jaw. He had short and unkempt brown hair, looking to be in his late 30's, his strong dark brown eyes showing the years of military experience he had. Next to him was a young but robust boy of about 20 who had slicked-over black hair and a clean-shaven look. He had very prominent cheekbones that made his actual cheeks look like they were being sucked in. He had eyes that were bright and excited, giving him the appearance of someone new to war, the pair dressed in Red Army uniform.

The two were at the bend of a hallway, footsteps echoing from around the corner. The obvious veteran of the of two nodded to his partner who, in a flash black light, had transformed into some sort of claw weapon on his partner's hand. The weapon much resembled a metal gauntlet with a small spike on each fingertip and a small razor blade on each shifting plate.

"Ready?" the claw spoke.

"Yes." The burley man replied, his voice deep voice matching his appearance. They stepped out into the hallway, face to face with the Wehrmacht soldier who was patrolling the hall. With a flick of his wrist, the guard was dead, the claw dripping with blood. They proceeded to the doorway that led to where the Wehrmacht were camped out. With his left hand, the veteran pulled a canister from his heavy winter coat and tossed it into the room, and then two more. Commotion and panic was heard from inside; the team of two stepped in.

Immediately, the claw was driven through a nearby soldier's throat. Gunshots were heard and the other Wehrmacht soldiers fired where everyone else was firing. Another soldier could be heard choking on his own blood, and then two more. Chaos ensued and soon bullets were being sprayed everywhere; the guards from outside the room rushed in only to be shot by their comrades. Only a few Wehrmacht remained, the smoke clearing; the veteran and his partner stood confidentially with their Kalashnikovs. The next second, they opened fire on the remaining soldiers, bodies littering the floor. The two Soviets stepped over the bodies, heading for the exit.

* * *

><p>"That's awesome!" Delilah said more enthusiastically than she usually would, "I wish I could've gone to a concert like that." Karen and Delilah had been talking since they got up; they got dressed and made breakfast, mostly trying to get to know each other, talking over the breakfast table.<p>

"Boarding school sounded terrible. I'll have to take you and your friend to a concert some time before my partner gets back." Karen said, "Him and I got some stuff to take care of." Delilah leaned further inward, obviously interested in Karen.

"So... I told you about myself... what about you?" Delilah asked; Karen thought for a couple seconds.

"Well, I was your typical teen. I grew up a pretty average life, which I hated. I was rebellious and constantly fighting with my parents. So the pricks got fed up and sent me and my weapon brother here." Karen said to Delilah, the military girl listening attentively.

"You sound a lot like Allora." Delilah commented; Karen raised a brow. "Allora was a rebellious soul so they sent her to boarding school, where I met her. After discovering we were meisters, that's wen we transferred here."

ONE YEAR AGO, DARETH BOARDING SCHOOL FOR GIRLS, WASHINGTON, USA

A girl that looked like Delilah, except slightly younger with very short hair sat at one of the cafeteria lunch tables. She ate alone though she actually really enjoyed the military life. One other girl who looked to be almost as tall as Delilah though with the sleeves cut off of her dark green uniform. "I'm hungry." the burley-looking girl said aggressively to Delilah who instantly shied from her, "Lunch. Now" she demanded.

"But... this is my lunch..." Delilah whimpered, the other girl leaning in close her

"You missed your chance to walk away." The girl roughly pushed Delilah off her seat and dumped her lunch onto her own tray while Delilah was on the ground. The girl snickered and began to walk away- though Delilah wasn't done.

"And so did you." Delilah kicked the back of the girl's knee in and slammed her head into the side of the table. The tray fell to the ground spilling the food, the girl bleeding from the side of her head. Delilah leaned down to whisper something in her ear. "Now, look what you did? Neither of have lunches. I get angry when I'm hungry." The other girl was quaking in fear. Delilah stood and laughed, walking away.

A day later, the same girl that had tried to take Delilah's lunch was picking on another girl, a certain blonde. It angered Delilah to see the girl bullying yet another person. She began to head over but before she could get there, the bully was sent sprawling towards her. Delilah caught her, immediately noticing the blood on her knuckles; she held the bully firmly in place by her arms, stomach out.

Delilah looked at the blonde who wiped some blood from her mouth. The blonde cracked her knuckles and grinned sadistically at Delilah.

* * *

><p>"And that's pretty much how we met." Delilah explained with a bright smile despite the subject of teaming up to brutalize a common enemy.<p>

"Wow, that's a really awesome story. I'd love to chat more but we should probably head to class." she said. "And speaking of Allora, we should probably get her up, shouldn't we?"

Allora woke up with a yawn not having bothered to get undressed the previous night, still in her clothes from when she arrived at the DWMA. She looked from side to side and noticed that both Karen and Delilah weren't in their beds. She pulled the covers back over herself and curled into a ball to retain warmth. Several seconds later, the sheets were torn from her, Allora shivering and groaning. "What're we back in boarding school?!" she shouted at whoever took her protection.

"Oi! Shuddap an' get outta bed! Wer' savin' your friend a favor and gettin' ya up for er'." Whoever was talking had a thick Irish accent on. "I'll get ye outta bed if me' name ain't Tawny Clepper Macantire!" Allora opened her eyes to see the "attractive ginger" Connor had mentioned the previous day. There was also the Hispanic girl who was incredibly short compared to anyone else she knew, presumably Scarlett.

"Nhg..." Allora groaned as she rolled off her bed and onto the floor.

"Your name is Allora, right?" Scarlett asked, going to help her up. Allora smacked her hand away and stood slowly, stretching.

"Yeah, that's me." Allora said though Scarlett had a stale expression as she withdrew her hand.

"Well, you might want to eat quickly. Class starts in five."

"What?!" Allora pulled on her boots and ran downstairs, leaving a confused Tawny next to a giddy Scarlet.

"See you then!" Scarlett called after her. Tawny looked at the clock witch read 8:30.

"But class doesn't start till' 9 o' clock." Tawny pointed out; Scarlett turned to her, grinning.

"Like hell someone is going to smack my hand away for no reason." She headed out the room and down the stairs, Tawny following her.

"Ara cod, ya' be a she-divil." Tawny said though Scarlett made a fake confused face.

"Sorry, Tawny, I told you I don't speak Irish."

"We speak the same bloody language!" Tawny shouted angrily. "I could say the same about the Mexican speech but I won't. Cause' I'm a proper lady." Scarlett and Tawny entered the kitchen where they saw a confused Delilah and Karen watching Allora who was frantically trying to 'make breakfast'.

Allora took the box of cereal from the pantry, opened it, and poured the cereal straight into her mouth. She kept it in though some was spilling out; Allora took the milk carton from the refrigerator and poured into her mouth onto the cereal. After about a second, Allora was covered in milk and struggling to keep down the excessive amount of cereal and milk in her mouth. Scarlett was bent over laughing the entire time when she finally stopped when Tawny gave her a stern look.

"You can relax, Allora." Scarlett said, still trying to contain a few more giggles. "Class doesn't start until 9. It's about 8:30 now." Allora however did not find the joke as funny and spat out the cereal she had in her mouth. She glared at Scarlett for a second and then stomped out the door. Karen turned to both Tawny and Scarlett.

"The hell was that about?!"

* * *

><p>Allora was completely enraged over that event, having been humiliated in front of her friends and peers. She was still dripping with some milk from earlier and was even spitting out some cereal stuck in her mouth. She just needed to take a quick walk around Death City to clear her head.<p>

While walking, Allora heard something down an alleyway at the end of the street. Being the curious young lady she was, Allora stalked the way there and then peered around the corner. She could see a man dressed in all while with visibly white hair and white skin drawing some sort of symbol on the wall with chalk. Once he was finished he walked away down the other end of the alley; Allora entered the alleyway after he was out of view. She walked up to the symbol; drawn in chalk, it was an un-detailed eye with a vertical line of symmetry straight through the pupil. She slowly put out her hand to touch it but when she did, she received a slight jolt, shocked with some kind of electricity.

Allora recoiled, rubbing her hand a little. Her brow furrowed a slightly as she pulled out her phone; she took a picture of it. Allora pocketed her phone and headed back to her dorm to change for school.

* * *

><p>After Allora ate and actually had a breakfast, the girls headed to class. After a walk through the city, Allora looking for any more symbols to no avail, they arrived at the top of the steps.<p>

"Oi," Tawny said, looking around the empty foyer, "Where is evry' body?" She was right. The area under the eaves that usually had many students congregated under before school was empty. Karen quickly parted with them to go to her senior class while the rest continued walking to their own. The girls were pretty suspicious by the time they arrived at their closed classroom door, voices coming from the inside. Delilah peeked inside the small window and gasped a little.

"It's already in progress!" Delilah yelled in whisper voice. The others looked nervous and tried to figure out why they were late.

"What the hell?!" Allora cried to Scarlett, "I thought you said school started at 9!" Scarlett looked amongst the girls, trying to find an explanation for her misinformation.

"Well... well..." Scarlett tried to think of something when it came to her, "Well, Karen is the senior! She should've know what time school starts!" she pointed into space where Karen might've been standing if she was still there.

At that moment, the door burst open with Mr. Barret staring down at the four embarrassed and nervous girls. "In my office, after class. All of you."

Mr. Barret looked at the four girls who were sitting across from him at his desk. "So, you just got your friend Karen's late schedule mixed up with yours?" The four nodded. "Well, it's an understandable mistake but you still need to make it up. You have two options: chores for two weeks or an extracurricular lesson." He looked first to Scarlett, who sighed before answering,

"Chores," she said. And then to Tawny,

"Aye, chores as well," and then to Delilah,

"Chores..." and then to Allora,

"I take the extra lesson." Scarlett, Tawny, Delilah and even Mr. Barret all stared at Allora who had no idea what 'extracurricular lesson' really meant.

"Alright," Mr. Barret wrote something down on his clipboard. "You three," he waved his pen over Delilah, Scarlett, and Tawny, "Report to Mr. Stein after school tomorrow. I'm sure he'll have something for you guys clean. As for you," he made a slight nod to Allora, "Come back here after school tomorrow."

* * *

><p>After the events of the rest of the day, Karen met back up with Allora in front of the school. "Where's the others?" she asked. Karen shrugged.<p>

"Zach's probably with Delilah, Scarlett it probably with Charlie, and I think I saw Tawny waiting outside of Connor's last class." Karen started walking down the steps with Allora by her side. Allora yawned just before she was about to say something. "Long day, huh?"

"Yeah..." Allora admitted; Delilah gave a friendly smile.

"Meh," she shrugged, "It gets better once things get going."

"Really?" Allora asked. Karen nodded a little.

"Mm. It can seem slow when your looking for a partner." Karen said. Allora sighed a little at that.

"I don't even know my partners name..." she groaned, "I'd normally try and talk to him after school tomorrow but I got to meet with Mr. Barret to discuss this extracurricular thing or whatever." Karen looked at Allora in an odd way.

"You have a mission?" Karen asked.

"Mission?" Karen laughed at Allora's response.

"Oh, boy. I hope you get in good with your partner. You're gonna need him." Karen smirked at Allora who had absolutely no idea what she meant. "Let me tell you what 'extracurricular lesson' _really_ mean."


	5. Running a Race is Easy!

DECEMBER 22, 1942 STALINGRAD, RUSSIA

The two Soviet soldiers that had single-handedly murdered the Wehrmacht encampment in the old office building were camped out in an old industrial facility. It was long since the factory had been used for anything and the building along with any machinery was badly rusted and deteriorated. It was a dark and cold night, the partners sitting at the base floor around a small fire that gently illuminated the run-down brick walls around them.

"I could have become a kishin by now." The young soldier spoke looking into the fire, "I just wanted you to know." The veteran just gazed into the flames that were dancing on the meager firewood they had collected, his stare as cold as the harsh winter that surrounded them.

"We are not here to become of the demon gods, brother." the bearded man spoke gruffly. "We are soldiers. We fight for the motherland. Nothing else." The younger soldier frowned at that.

"I am a weapon, damn it!" he shouted, "I need souls! If we are not fighting monsters, I might as well take the depraved souls of the Wehrmacht scum we kill!" There was a silence between them, only the gentle sound of the winter's wind could be heard. The older man lay down on the grimy floor, using his coat as blanket and backpack as a pillow.

"Tomorrow." The veteran spoke calmly, "Tomorrow, my brother, we will talk." The young soldier grit his teeth but lied down as well, a bitter look on his face as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

Moonlight shone through the partially destroyed roof of the factory. The entire plant cascaded in the soft blue light from above that clashed with the glow of the fading embers from the dying fire. The young soldier's eyes shot open, pupils darting from side to side and up and down in a paranoid fashion. He sat up, suddenly looking at his partner with a sharp twist of his neck. He stood slowly, the harsh and howling wind masking most of his sound. He took two steps to where he stood over his sleeping partner who was completely unaware of his partner's treachery. The young soldier took a stance much like a predator might before sinking its teeth into its prey.

"Do Svidaniya." The young soldier's hand morphed into the claw that was the weapon he changed into to slay the Wehrmacht. The next second, blood flowed freely from the sleeping man's throat, the crimson liquid dripping from the fingertips of the claw. The young soldier smirked as his hand reached into the corpse's chest, removing a glowing soul. He crushed the soul in the palm of his hand, it then being absorbed into the claw, and then the soldier himself.

He returned to where he was sleeping and lied down once more. "Sleep well, _partner._" The betrayer smirked deviously as he shut his eyes yet again.

* * *

><p>Allora woke up at 6 a.m. intending to be first one up. Everyone was still asleep and the alarms were 30 minutes from going off; it was payback time. Not being especially inventive herself, she quietly exited herself from Delilah, and Karen's room, walking down the hall to Tawny and Scarlett's. She aimed to set Scarlett's clock to 5 minute before 8. However, when Allora opened the door and walked in, she was surprised to see Scarlett wide awake and texting with her phone<p>

"What are you doing?!" Allora whispered in a loud tone. Scarlett jumped in fear with a small 'eep' and dropped her phone to the floor. Tawny groaned in her sleep and rolled over.

"What at am I doing?!" Scarlett repeated, "What are you doing?!" Allora was trying to think of a good lie and found one pretty quick.

I went to the bathroom and opened the wrong door on the way back." Allora explained.

"Well… well... You're not my mom! I can text if I want." Scarlett said defensively, raising her voice slightly. Tawny was sitting up and none too please about them talking. Her orange hair was frizzy and wild.

"What're you two bogtrotter brassier bullocks blathering on bout'!?" Tawny shouted angrily; she noticed the phone. "She just be mailin' to her fella in the middle of the night! The two wanna buck so bad ain't even funny! And why don'cha wake me up while ya' at it!? Bloody scangers!" she ranted some other things in incomprehensible Irish slang before she lied down and drifted back off to sleep, all in a matter of seconds. Scarlett picked up her phone and turned it off setting on the bed stand all the while glaring at Allora.

"Can you leave now?" Scarlett asked in a whisper not wanting to wake up Tawny again. Allora nodded quickly, backed out of the room and closed the door. She walked back to her room and walked in getting another surprise: Karen and Delilah were awake, sitting up and staring at her.

"Hey, guys..." Allora said nervously. "What are you doing up?" Karen stared at her blankly.

"I could ask you the same question." Karen said dryly, Delilah just watching and rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"Ha, ha..." Allora laughed in a fake and skittish way, "Good one, Karen."

"Thanks." Karen smiled making Allora smiled too. She then scowled suddenly. "Now get to bed!"

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

* * *

><p>At the top of the steps to the DWMA, Tawny, Scarlett, Delilah, Allora and Karen stood, actually on time.<p>

"So this actually our first day of real classes?" Allora asked Karen, who nodded.

"At 8 the first 'meister only' class will begin and then after that will be the weapon class. What are you guys? Weapons? Meisters?" Karen asked out of interest.

"We hav'the blood of the weapon in us, we do!" Tawny exclaimed, referring to herself and Scarlett.

"So that means Connor and Charlie are both meisters, right?" Delilah asked.

"Bang on, ye be a sharp lass." Tawny said with a nod.

"Well, we better get going." Allora said, checking the time on her phone. Delilah nodded.

"I got an early class this morning as well. I gotta beat it too." Karen added for herself.

"We'll see you guys at lunch!" Delilah said cheerfully the three of them walking off together. Tawny waved though Scarlett just glared at Allora who glared back with equal disdain.

"Well aren't cha in the right chord." Tawny noted on the way Scarlett was looking; she stayed up way too late on her phone and was suffering from a lack of sleep.

"I don't..." she yawned, "... speak Irsh."

"Jeasus, ye do mi head in!" Tawny groaned, the exclamation lightening Scarlett's mood a bit.

"Come back when you've learned some English." Scarlett said with a wry smile.

"Ye be like a kin to be but by God you're an eejit!" Tawny said, noticing Zach coming up the steps. "Oi! Zach! How's she cuttin?" Zach pleasantly surprised Tawny with his answer.

"Full of the blade." Zach said coolly, trying to impress her with the one piece of Irish slang he knew.

"Thank the Lord!" Tawny exclaimed, hugging Zach when he reached the top. "An I thought everone was a gullute. We'll hav'um gas, we will! Ye be the one holy show in the whole god-rotten place!" Zach let her until after about a minute it began to get awkward and he tried to pull back.

"Tawn-" he tried to say.

"Houl yer wheest." she said softly, "I'll keep in brace til' mi kebs an' arms done give out.

"Please let me go?" he asked to which Tawny frowned and let go.

"All right, alright..." she grumbled.

"So, Zach," Scarlett started, "Where's Charlie and Connor?"

"They both came pretty early this morning." Zach said, "They're probably already in class." Scarlett sighed a little.

"I've only seen him once since we got here." Scarlett complained to which Tawny spoke loudly,

"Oh, halt yer weepin'. Your fella is a thinkin' the same thing." she said, "Just shuddup and try and have a good time. It ain't like ye puff be to have yer fella buck ya. Ye make me think ye not full o' the shining, sometimes you do." Scarlett just stared at Tawny not really getting mot of what she said. Zach coughed a little at the phrase.

"She means to stop crying and that you're not here to... um… to be Charlie's girlfriend." Zach translated, "She says to have a good time."

"An that she's a bit of gipe!" Tawny added to which Zach shook his head at her, then turning back to Scarlett.

"The point is, you're not "Charlie's girlfriend". You're Scarlett." Zach explained, "You should want to see him, but not make it the only thing you want to do all the time." The much shorter girl smiled after his little speech, then hugging him.

"Thanks, Zach." Scarlett said graciously. Zach had a little red on his face smiling awkwardly.

"No problem, shorty."

* * *

><p>After the first class, the meisters exited the room, Allora the first one out with Delilah by her side. She was visibly angry and the reason of her distress walked out behind her: Connor.<p>

"Stop calling me fat!" Allora complained angrily at Connor, whirling around to face him. He laughed a little.

"Just be grateful you're not a mushroom." Connor said, completely confusing Allora.

"What?"

"Look," he said, "Doesn't Scarlett's pixie cut make her look a little bit like a mushroom?" Allora and Delilah though about it for a second.

"Now that you mention, it does a little. Not really to where I'd ridicule her about it, but it's kind of funny." Allora said, the joke taking her mind off how angry she was.

"Anyways, I'll see you guys at lunch." He and Charlie headed off in a different direction, leaving Allora and Delilah at the doorway of the classroom. Allora spotted the solemn-looking kid from orientation walking down the hall.

"Hey!" she called out to him; he stopped and looked to her. She walked up to him with a bright smile. "My name is Allora and I just wanted to let you know that I'm actually your partner for now." His brow furrowed slightly. "I'm not happy about it either but there's not a lot of other people left. Just deal with it for now and maybe we can switch later, all right? You are a weapon, correct?" The boy nodded once. "Who knows, maybe if we get to know each other we won't want to switch." she said optimistically, met with silence, "So... talk to you later?" the boy nodded extremely slightly to the point it was almost unnoticeable. Allora just shook her head and returned to Delilah.

"How'd it go?" Delilah asked.

"He's got to be the worst partner in the world." Allora sighed. "Even though he's mute, he still could be friendly." Delilah put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sure he'll lighten up." Delilah said softly. "Some people like to pretend they're more serious than they actually are. I'm sure once you get to know him you'll be alright."

"Thanks, Delilah." Allora said with a weak smile.

"What's his name by the way?" Delilah asked.

"Name?" Allora repeated, "Damn it! How the hell could I forget to get his name?" she turned around to call out for him but he was already gone. "Whatever, I'll just get it from Mr. Barret later. Let's just go get something to eat before our next class."

"By the way, what is our next class?" Delilah asked.

"P.E."

* * *

><p>Tawny, Scarlett, Delilah and Allora were in the girls' changing room, fitting their P.E. uniforms.<p>

"These aren't even clothes!" Tawny noted on the tight shirt and the even tighter shorts. "These fritters be makin' us look like tramps." The other girls weren't too thrilled about it but didn't put up too much of a protest.

"Just deal with it Tawny," Scarlett said mostly because the uniform wasn't bad on her or Allora. Since they were both fairly small, the uniform didn't squeeze on them like it did Delilah.

"It's not too terrible..." Delilah said awkwardly, the uniform _incredibly _and excessively tight on her.

"Delilah, the hem of your shorts in torn." Allora pointed out. "You two," she said to Tawny and Delilah, "Change and then come out. We'll meet you on the field." Scarlett and Allora headed out of the changing room and to the center of the field. Just as they were coming out, they saw Zach, Charlie, Connor and then "Allora's partner" on the starting lines for track with Mr. Barret to the side with clipboard and a timer.

"On your marks," he said, "Get set... Go!" Immediately the four set off at full speed. Allora watched in awe at the incredible speed of the males, Scarlett smirking, Charlie leading the pack.

"Wow, Charlie is really fast." Allora said; Scarlett smirked smugly. However, after about 30 seconds, Charlie was in last place, Connor, Zach and Allora's partner sustaining their maximum speed. "Scratch what I said earlier."

"Shut up!" Scarlett said, "You don't even have partner."

"Yes I do!" Allora protested, "He's..." Allora couldn't really describe him but her partner was ahead of the other males by about thirty feet. "He's the one that's way ahead of everybody!" Scarlett was genuinely surprised.

"Seriously?" Scarlett asked; Allora nodded smugly as her partner continued at full speed, actually going faster than he had when he started. For Connor and Zach who were neck and neck, their expression showed how exhausted they were getting. But for Allora's partner, his expression was emotionless like it usually was. "Damn, that guy is fast."

"Sure is." Allora said before walking up to Mr. Barret. "Hey, Mr. Barret. Who is that really fast guy?" she pointed to her partner as he overlapped Charlie. Mr. Barret checked his list and frowned.

"Gwyn Marchog." Mr. Barret replied, the 'ch' pronounced like a 'k' sound. "Though you should've found out your partner's name yourself." Allora sighed in defeat.

"I know..." Allora said as her partner finished his final lap around the track.

"Gwyn: 5 minutes and 21 seconds!" Mr. Barret called out to him who just passed the finish line. His breath was heavy but his expression still was pretty much the same, possibly a little more intensified. Allora ran over to him.

"That was incredible! You smoked everybody else!" Allora cheered to Gwyn; he walked right past her on to the next event. "Okay, um... see you later! I guess..." She walked back over to Scarlet and saw Tawny and Delilah coming from the changing room. Tawny was wearing black sweatpants and a dark green hoodie. Delilah was actually wearing a male uniform which almost looked as bad as the girl's uniform on her.

"Oi! Scarlett!" Tawny called, "I see your fella is really goin the full o' the throttle." she teased, Charlie by far in last place.

"Well your partner didn't win either!" Scarlett shouted in frustration.

"Oh, go in the Baltic." Tawny said in an apologetic tone. "I'm only slagging ya."

"Zach: 6 minutes and 53 seconds!" Mr. Barret called out. "Connor: 6 minutes 55 seconds!"

"Zach is actually kind of fast..." Allora said to Delilah who smiled at the comment.

"He's running extra hard because he knows it's my birthday next week." Delilah said. Tawny and Scarlett looked to her.

"Nice, we'll have to throw a par-" Scarlett started to say but was cut off by Allora.

"... But my partner is the fastest!" she bragged, diminishing the major event of Delilah's upcoming birthday.

"What make em' so specia'?" Tawny asked.

"He got a mile time of 5 minutes and 21 seconds." Allora said proudly much to Delilah and Tawny's surprise.

"You're kiddin me!" Tawny exclaimed. "That lad be a demon and not a man."

"Stop making such a damn fuss about this one guy." Scarlett stated. "What really matters is how we do, not our partners." The other girls nodded.

"Right." they said simultaneously. Allora headed over to the starting line, taking her place on the lane second closest to the center. Delilah took her place to the left of Allora, Scarlett on her right, and Tawny in the outmost lane. After a couple seconds, Mr. Barret spoke,

"Alright," he said, "On your marks... get set... go!" The girls set off going as fast as they could, Allora mostly competing against Scarlett for some reason. It wasn't that she disliked her but they did have bouts of distaste for each other.

_ "I can't let them win! I have to be as good as my partner or else I'll look like an idiot!" _Allora thought, pushing herself into the lead. She was completely focused on herself, not looking back at all to see where the others were.

Meanwhile on the sidelines, Zach and Connor were talking. "I can't believe Charlie threw up after his mile."

"Yeah, he's not horribly fit." Connor said, "It's sort of insult to injury that he had to see the school nurse after he got a _12 _minute mile. People are fat, aren't they?"

"He's not fat, we're just fast." Zach tried to give Charlie some credit, actually liking him.

"Yeah, we are pretty fast aren't we?" Connor mused rhetorically.

"Damn straight." Zach high-fived Conner as they watched the girls run.

All the while, the race continued, Allora running as fast as she could, her legs and lungs burning. She lost track any sense of time and had no idea what lap she was until she heard her name:

"Allora _and _Scarlett: 7 minutes and 31 seconds!" Allora stumbled forward a couple steps and collapsed onto the grass. She looked directly to her left to see Scarlett lying next to her.

"Nice job..." Allora wheezed to Scarlett.

"You too..." Scarlett huffed back.

"Oi!" Tawny and Delilah stood over the two. "Ya both alright?"

"Yeah..." Allora said, gaining her breath back. "Did we win?"

"No..." Delilah said softly, a hint of pity in her voice. "Tawny got first with 6 32 and I got second with 6 41..."

"Aye!" Tawny cheered proudly, putting her fists on her hips, elbows pointed out. "I brought great pride to the Macantire clan! Hear that Paps and Mams?! I am the champion!" Both Allora and Scarlett burst out laughing, and even Delilah too. "Oh, shuddup, ya toites!"


End file.
